Centering apparatus for roller-tables



H. A. LEWIS.

CENTERING APPARATUS FOR ROLLER TABLES.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 23, 1919.

1,360,769. Patented Nov; 30, 1920. A

2 SHEETSSHEET l.

2/ FIG. 1 g 26 HARRY A. LEWIS, 0F NORRISTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA.

CENTERING APPARATUS FOR ROLLER-TABLES.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented NOV. 30, 1920.

Application filed October 23, 1919. Serial No. 332,603.

To aZZwkO-mz't may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY A. LEWIS, a

citizen of the United States, and resident of Norristown, in the county of Montgomery and State of Pennsylvania, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Centering Apparatus for Roller-Tables; and I do here-. by declare the following to be a full, clear,

and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to rolling mills and' other metal-working apparatus, and it has for its object to provide means for'center- ,ing or otherwise moving bodies upon a supporting table, such, for example, as the roller tables which are used to feed metal to reducing rolls and to receive it therefrom.

A further object of my invention is to provide metal-handling apparatus of the above-indicated character which shall be not only efiective in operation but simple in construction and adapted to be readily stripped for cleaning or for repairs.

The mechanism of my invention comprises, in general, a supporting structure, such as a roller table, two parallel workpositioning members that may be moved to ward and from each other above thesupporting structure, and means for simultaneously moving the centering members in equal amounts to cause them to centralize upon the supporting structure a bodv placed between them. The present invention is particularly concerned with the means by which the centering or work-positioning members are simultaneously moved, and it also comprises other'improvements as will be hereinafter set forth.

In theaccompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a rolling mill structure having my invention applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal central sectional view of the apparatus of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 3-3,

Fig.1; Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic plan view showing the driving connections for the work-positioning members; Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view similar to F ig. 3 and showing a modified form of my device; and Fig. 6 is a similar transverse sectional view illustrating a still further modification. i

This invention is particularly adapted for use in connection with the roller tables shown in Letters Patent No. 1,114,621 granted to me October 20, 1914.- As thus applied, the

purpose of my device is to center large blocks of metal, such as ingots or blooms,

upon the roller table. My invention may, however, be employed in connection with the moving or centering of any other body upon any supporting structure.- As my invention is illustrated in the drawing,:a roller table 2 is shown adjacent to a palr ofireducing rolls 3, a like roller table 4 being placed at the opposite side of the reducing rolls. As the two roller tables are intended to be of the same construction, only one is illustrated in detail.

As shown, the rollers composing the feed tables 2 and 4 are tapered in opposite directions, as in the Lewis patent mentioned above, and the rollers are mounted in suitable bearings 5 and are driven by means of worm wheels '6 and worms 7 which, in turn, may be driven by any suitable power c011- nections. The rolls may be arranged so that all rotate in the same direction, or they may be arranged, if desired, so that the alternate rolls can be rotated in opposite directions.

Mounted above the roller table 2 are two parallel work-positioning members 8 and 9,'which may be of any desired length, and which are secured, preferably in a detachable manner, to the inner extremities of horizontally slidable arms 10. As shown in Fig. 3, each of the supporting arms 10 is slidably carried in a fixed guide 10 and is rigidly connected by means of a short Disposed between each pair of the lower sliding arms 12 is an-endless chain 13 which is carried upon sprocket wheels 14 that are mounted upon short vertical shafts 15. One of the parallel runs of the chain 13 is connected, as at 13*, to one of the adjacent arms 12, while the other run of the chain is connected as at 13 to the other adjacent arm 12. Each of the shafts 15 at one. side of the I roller table is provided with abevel pinion 16 meshing with a bevel pinion 17 on a horizontal shaft 18 which also carries a gear wheel 19 that may be driven at reduced speed from an electric motor 20 by means of reducing gears 21, 22 and 23.

. Other driving connections may obviously be provided for moving the chains 13, the only requirement being that these chains be moved, whenever it is desired to change the adjustment of the work-positioning members 8 and 9, with sufficient power to move not only the work-positioning members but the ingot or other object which may restupon the "table.

The chains 13 may be provided with means for adjusting their tension and for this purpose, the sprocket wheels 14 at the side of the machine opposite to the' shaft 18 are shown mounted in blocks which are adapted to slide in guide-ways26 in the supporting structure, and which are provided with adjusting screws 27 In the operation of the formof device which I have just described, the motor 20 is started and thereupon causes the chains 13 to move. Since the opposite runs of each chain are connected to the adjacent lower arms 12 of a set of opposite U-shaped actuating members, this movement of the chains 13 causes the U-shaped actuating members to slide horizontally in opposite directions,

and for equal distances. As the U-shaped actuating members also carry the work-positloning members 8 and 9, it is evident that the work-positioning members will also be moved in the same manner and to the same extent.

The form of device shown in Fig. 5 is s1m1lar to that described above, except that the upper slidable arms 10 which carry the work-positioning members 8 and 9 are connected to the lower slidable arms 12, or

directly to the chains 13, by means of pivoted levers 30 instead of by the rigid connecting arms 11, as in the modification first described. Each of the levers 30 is pivoted at 31 and is connected to its sliding arm 10 by means of a pin 32 and a slot 33, and is also connected to the lower sliding arm 12 or to the adjacent chains 13 if the sliding arms 12 are omitted by means of a link 34 which is 'pivotally connected to both the lever 30 and the arm 12 or the chain 13, as shown. The operation of this form of device is identical with that of the device of Figs. 1 to 4, except that the movement of the chains 13 in a given direction causes the work -positioning members to work re-Z versely, as compared with the device of Figs. 1 to 4. This results from the use of the pivoted levers 30, which cause the arms 10 to move inward while the arms 12 are moving outward, and vice versa.

The form of apparatus shown in Fig. 6 is also similar in its general operation to the apparatus of Figs. 1 to 4, but in this modification, the chains 13 are replaced by pinions 35. mounted on a horizontal shaft '36, and the sliding arms 12 arearranged one above the other and are provided with sets of rack-teeth 37 meshing with. the pinions 35. It will. be evident that when the shafts 36 are rotated, the pinions 35 will engage the racks 37 to move the U-shaped actuating members 1011-12 in equal and opposite amounts, as in the chain driven modification of Figs. 1 to 4. The shaft 36 carrying the driving pinions 35 may be located centrally beneath the table, as shown, or it may be placed at one side of the machine, the length and shape of the sliding mem: bers 12 being properly selected to cause the racks 37 to mesh with the pinions 35.

In the use of my apparatus in connection with the rolling of heavy metal bodies, such as ingots or blooms, the body is delivered upon the table and by the movement of the rollers is fed between the centering members and thence into proper position with relation to the reducing rolls. As the body is fed back and forth between the reducing rolls, it passes between the centering members 8 and 9, and is thereby confined to the proper central position on the roller table. If it is desired for any reason that the ingot shall be maintained away from the actual center of the roller table, one of the positioning members 8 and 9 may be replaced by another and wider positioning member; or the arms 10 may be made of different lengths, as desired. I

By the above described construction, I have provided a metal-handling machine which is of simple construction and may be easily. stripped for cleaning and for replacement of parts. It will also be observed that the apparatus is for-the most part protected from the scale which forms in the working of. heated metal and which tends to clog the parts of metal handling machines. The driving chains which I have herein provided are largely self-cleaning in their operation, and these chains are theonly parts of my machine which are apt -to wear out and'break. Should such breaking occur, it. will result, at most, inv

. the short delay required for repairing a link members movably mounted on the said supporting structure, and means for simultaneously moving the said positioning members in equal amounts toward or from each other, thesaid means comprising a flexible driving member-operatively associated with both of the said work-positioning members, and means for moving the said flexible member.

2. The combination with a supporting structure, of two opposed work-positioning members movably mounted onthe said supporting structure, and means for simultaneously moving the said positioning members in equal amounts toward or from each other, an endless chain operatively associated with both of the said work-positioning members and means for moving the said endless chain.

3. The combination with a supporting structure, of two opposed work-positioning members movably mounted on the said supporting structure, and means for simultaneously moving the said positioning members in equal amounts toward or from each other, the said means comprising a plurality of endless chains each operatively associated with both of the said work-positioning members and means for simultaneously moving the said endless chains.

4. The combination with a supporting structure, of two opposed work-positioning members movably mounted on the said supporting structure, and means for simultaneously movingthe said positioning members in equal amounts toward or from each other, thesaid means comprising an endless chain having parallel runs extending transchain extending around the said sprocket wheels and across the said supporting structure, one run of the said chain being operatively associated with each of the said workpositioning members, and means for rotating versely to the said work-positioning mem bers and adapted to move in the same directions as the said work-positioning members,

one run of the said chain being operatively associated with each of the said work-positioning members, and means for moving the said chain.

The combination with a supporting structure, of two opposed work-positioning members movably mounted on the said sup porting structure, and means for simultaneously moving the said positioning members in equal amounts toward or from each' other, the said means comprising a plurality of endlesschains each chain having parallel runs extending transversely to the said work po sitioning members and adapted to,

move in the same directions as the said work-positioning members, one, run of each of the said chains being operatively associated with each of the said work-positioning members, and means for simultaneously moving the said chains.

6.. The combination with a supporting structure, of two opposed work-positioning members movably mounted on the said supporting structure, and means for simultaneously moving the said positioning members in equal amounts toward or from each other; the said means comprising a pair of sprocket wheels disposed on op; )sitesides of the said supporting structure, an endless ,members movably mounted on the one of the said sprocket wheels.

7. The combination with a supporting structure, of two opposed work-positioning members movably mounted on the said supporting structure, and means for simultaneously moving the said positioning members in equal amounts toward or from each other, the said means comprising a plurality of pairs 0t sprocket wheels, each pair having one wheel on eachside of the said supporting structure, endless chains extending around the said sprocket wheels, each chain having parallel runs extending transversely to the said work-positioning members and adapted to move in the same direction as the said work-positioning members, means for operatively associating one run of each of the said chains with each of the said Work.- positioning members, and means for simultaneously rotating the said sprocket wheels.

8. The combination with a supporting structure, of two opposed work-positioning members movably mounted on the said supporting structure, and means for simultaneously moving the said positioning members in equal amounts toward or from each other, the said means comprising a pair of slidable actuating members disposed adja- 9. The combination with a supporting 'structure, of two opposedwork-positioning members movably mounted on the said supporting structure, and means for simultaneously moving the" said positioning members in equal amounts toward or from each .other, the said means comprising two pairs of slidable actuating members having the slidable members of each pair disposed ad jacent to each other, means for operatively connecting one actuating member of each pair to each of the said work-positioning members, fixed guides for all of the said slidable members and means for simultaneously moving the actuating members of each. pair in opposite directions.

10. The combination with a supporting structure, of two opposed work-positioning said supporting structure, and means for simultaneously moving the said positioning members in equal amounts toward or from each other, the said means comprising a U-shaped actuating member associated with each of the said Work-positioning members, the said U-shaped members having corresponding arms disposed adjacent to each other, and means cooperating with both of the said adjacent arms of the U-shaped members for simultaneously moving the said U-shaped members in opposite directions.

11. The combination with a supporting structure, of two opposed work-positioning members movably mounted on the said supporting structure, and means for simultaneously moving the saidpositioning members in-equal amounts toward or from" each other, the said means comprising a U shaped actuating member associated with each of the said work-positioning members, the said U-shaped members having corresponding arms disposed adjacent to each other, and an endless chain connected to both of the said adjacent arms of the U-shaped members for simultaneously moving the said U-shaped members in opposite directions.

12. The combination with a supporting structure, of two opposed work-positioning members movably mounted on the said supporting structure, and means for simultaneously moving the said positioning members in equal amounts toward or from each other, the said means comprising two sets of slidable U-shaped actuating members each having one arm connected to one of the said work-positioning members, the said U-shaped .members having corresponding arms disposed adjacent to each other in pairs, fixed guides for all of the arms of the said U-shaped members, endless chains each disposed with its runs parallel to'one of the said adjacent pairs of arms, and with one run connected to each arm oi the said pair, and means for simultaneously moving the said chains.

13. The combination with a roller table, of two opposed work-positioning members mounted to move toward and from each other above the said table, an endless chain extending beneath the said table and transversely to the said work-positioning members, and means for operatively connecting one run of the said chain to each of the said work-p( sitionin members.

14. The combination with a roller table, of two opposed work-positioning members mounted to move toward and from each other abovethe said table, two U-shaped actuating members, each of said U-shaped members having one arm above the said table and connected to one of the said workpositioning members, and having its other arm extending beneath the said table, an endless chain also extendingbeneaththe said table adjacent to the lower arms of the said U-shaped members and having each of its runs attached to one or the said lower arms of the said U-shaped members, and means for moving the said chains.

15. The combination with a roller table, of two opposed work-positioning members mounted to move toward and from each other above the said table, each of the said workpositioning members being carried by two horizontally slidable U-shaped actuating members, each of the said U-shaped mem-' bers having one arm extending above the said table and connected to one of the said workpositioning members, and having its other arm extending beneath the said table adjacent to the lower arm of a'U-shaped member belonging to the other work-positioning member, fixed guides for all of the upper and lower arms of the said U-shaped members, two endless chains each having parallel runs extending beneath the said table adjacent to one of the said sets of adjacent lo'n'er arms of the U-shaped actuating members, and'having each of its runs attached to one of the said adjacent lower arms. and means for moving the said chains.

In testimony whereof, I, the said I'IARRY A. Lewis, have hereunto set my hand. HARRY A. LEWIS.

Witnesses:

AARON S. SwAR'rz, Jr, ELIZABETH R. Fommsr. 

